


Accidentally in Love

by nh8343



Category: Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: Actually plausible since it fits in with events in the book, M/M, Please disregard the incredibly cheesy title, Set around the time of "Spirit Bound"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-23 13:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/622614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nh8343/pseuds/nh8343
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christian didn't mean to fall for Adrian, but apparently his heart had other plans. Here's the story of their unlikely road to romance, fraught with confusion, drama, and...well, boys being boys. (Christian/Adrian multichap)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

   Christian wasn’t sure how it had happened, but somehow he and Adrian Ivashkov had become close. In the midst of Strigoi attacks, spirit users, and love triangles, they had gone from acquaintances to best friends. Around each other, they could escape the “girl drama” surrounding them and simply hang out. Sure, Adrian could be unstable at times – _very_ unstable– but not as much as Lissa, for instance.

 

   Lissa.

 

   That particular memory still replayed in Christian’s head, and it was painful. Really, “painful” was an understatement. A piece of his heart seemed to have been left with her, and its void remained empty.

~*~

_“What do you want?” Christian asked, his voice harsher than he’d planned._

_“What do you mean 'what do I want'?” Lissa retorted, “I haven’t been able to find you.”_

               

                _“I’ve just been…” His face darkened. “I don’t know. Thinking. Besides, from what I hear, you haven’t been too bored.”_

_“It was nothing.”_

_Christian’s voice rose. “That’s the thing,” he said angrily. “Everything’s nothing lately. All your partying. Making out with other guys. Lying.” Lissa tried to deny it, but Christian continued, “I just can’t handle this. I can’t be a part of you going back to your days of being a royal girl doing crazy stunts with your other royal friends.”_

_The rest of the conversation went by in a haze, but he could see that the reality of the situation was starting to process in Lissa’s mind. Before Christian knew it, he found himself snapping, “I’m sorry. I just don’t see any evidence of that.”_

_Then he walked away._

~*~

                Since then, he hadn’t spoken to Lissa once, Sure, Rose had tried to convince him to mend their relationship, but he couldn’t go back. He had meant every word that he’d said.

 

                That was part of the beginning of Christian’s major bonding with Adrian.

               

                Christian had vented, swore, and gone as far as punching the wall in Adrian’s room (something he never planned on doing again –it _hurt_.) Rather than judge him or try to convince him what to do, Adrian had simply listened.

               

                It had been a nice change, as opposed to Lissa’s sometimes overwhelming sympathy or Rose’s hot-headed, strong emotions.

 

                So, Christian had kept his sanity after the breakup. In fact, he had gained a best friend even when he had lost the girl who he had thought was his soul mate (which he was now reconsidering).

 

                Adrian had his share of problems as well. Most of them had to do with Rose Hathaway. It was ironic how both boys had issues with girls from the same pair of best friends and spirit bondmates; they had laughed many times at this fact.

 

                Their friendship wasn’t some sappy sleepovers-and-rainbows relationship, of course. Christian’s sarcasm and cynicism meshed with Adrian’s humor and slightly-unhinged moments to create a joking, if somewhat bitter, pair. Those occasional moments of kindness and honesty popped up ever once and a while, though, ensuring something long-lasting. It seemed ideal.

 

                Until everything started to change.

~*~

                The change began one night in Adrian’s room. The two of them had hung out for no reason in particular, talking about the whole “moroi fighting with magic” issue.

 

                Christian was sprawled out on the couch, his head propped up and nearly falling asleep. He hadn’t had any alcohol for a while, and spirit was clearly taking its toll on him. His words would occasionally make little sense, or that strange poetic quality would creep into his voice.

 

                Christian was unfazed by this, and their conversation continued on. Not much later, however, the topic shifted to Rose again, and suddenly Adrian was mid-rant.

 

                “I don’t understand why she had to be so difficult!” he said, full-on yelling. “In fact, I don’t understand why _all_ girls have to be difficult! They go from smiling to bitching at you in seconds, they’re always sending you mixed signals, and they even have the nerve to play on your feelings to get what they want!”

 

                Raising an eyebrow, Christian finally turned to him and asked, “Adrian, are you feeling okay?”

 

                Still, Adrian continued like he hadn’t even heard the question. “I am sick and tired of putting up with their…her…crap!”

 

                “So, what? Are you only into guys now?” Christian said with a snort.

 

                Only a second later, spirit-crazed Adrian was leaning over Christian with his lips pressed firmly against the other boy’s.

 

                For a few moments, Christian sat there frozen in shock, his eyes as wide as saucers. Then, he shoved Adrian away and bolted from the room. A million thoughts ran through his mind, but he tried to stay focused on getting back to his room.

 

                He tried to ignore the warm, tingling feeling in his lips.

~*~

                Christian kept to himself the next few days. Adrian was the one that he would normally talk about things with, but in this situation…to say it would be awkward would be an understatement.

 

                The thing that bothered him the most wasn’t that the kiss had actually happened –Adrian wasn’t himself, after all. What got under his skin was the fact that Christian had felt something. He had felt traces of an “I’m-kissing-someone-I-really-care-about-and-damn-it-feels-good” feeling that he had previously only had when he was with Lissa.

 

                It scared him.

~*~

                After three days of brooding and generally unsocial behavior, Christian was taking a walk around the campus. Most of the students were in their dorms or at the Sunday service, so the grounds were nearly barren. He turned the corner, and ran into someone walking the opposite way. A muttered apology began to form on his tongue, but then he realized who it was.

 

                “…Adrian?”

 

                “The one and only,” came the smirking reply.

 

                Rolling his eyes, Christian began to walk away, but Adrian held out a hand to stop him.

               

                Adrian’s face grew more serious as he said, “Look, Christian, about what happened the other day…I’m sorry. Bad things happen when I don’t’ drink enough, apparently.”

 

                “It’s okay,” Christian replied with a shrug, not sure what else to say. “I just…wasn’t expecting that. I panicked, but I know it was a mistake.”

 

                Tentative smiles broke out on both of their faces. Christian breathed an internal sigh of relief. He had _hated_ these awkward few days.

               

                “Just don’t think you have a free pass to do that _again_ ,” Christian added with a teasing grin, to which Adrian laughed and shook his head good-naturedly.

 

                They exchanged goodbyes, and Adrian squeezed Christian’s shoulder as he left. Christian figured he was reading too much into the gesture when it lasted a few seconds longer than normal. He also ignored the warmth that had blossomed at the brief.

 

                Because Christian Ozera was most certainly not falling for Adrian Ivashkov.

 

                So why did that sound like denial?


	2. Chapter 2

   Things went back to normal immediately after Adrian’s apology, all feelings of awkwardness dispelled. Both boys settled into the old pattern of laid-back conversations and hanging out for no reason at all. It seemed as if though nothing would ruin their easy friendship from now on.

 

   Something had to change.

 

   Really, it was all Lissa’s fault. After Christian dumped her, she had been having serious problems with her attitude, which was partially due to spirit, too. Christian had come storming into Adrian’s room, his blue eyes flashing with anger. Once Adrian had managed to calm him down somewhat, he had relayed the incident in detail.

 

~*~

_“Christian!”_

_Christian turned to see Rose approaching, Lissa trailing behind her._

_“Hey, Rose. What’s up?”_

_She asked him something unimportant, and he just barely stayed in the conversation. Every few seconds, he found himself stealing glances at Lissa, who was either glaring at him or avoiding looking at his face entirely._

_A spark of annoyance flared in the back of his mind, but he pushed it away in favor of listening to Rose._

_“…and that’s  why I can’t stand the moroi council,” Rose was saying._

_“I agree, Rose, but I have to get to class.”_

_“Oh. Well, in that case, I’ll talk to you later?”_

_“Sure. See you sometime tomorrow.”_

_He waved goodbye to Rose and turned to leave, but Lissa’s voice stopped him._ _“Really mature, Christian. You’re going to pretend I don’t exist now?”_

_“   This isn’t about you, Lissa,” Christian snapped. “Not everything is! Just because you’re  a Dragomir doesn’t mean the world revolves around you!”_

_Maybe he’d overreacted, but he was getting tired of her attitude, and this brought back his old resentment of her endless parties and snobby royal friends. He had gone along with it for her sake, but not happily._

_Lissa looked mad, but now Rose looked absolutely furious._ _Leaping to her best friend’s defense, Rose snapped back, “What is your problem? Lissa didn’t do anything to you, and you have no right to act like a brat!”_

_Rose whisked Lissa way, and Christian was left there fuming._

_So_ that _was why he didn’t miss hanging around girls…_

~*~

 

   By the time the recollection was over, Christian was standing in the center of the room with gritted teeth and hands curled into fists.

 

   “That really sucks, man,” Adrian said sympathetically. “Sounds like she was being a total bitch to you.”

 

   Christian snorted angrily. “Tell me about it.”

 

   “Tell you what,” Adrian continued, getting up, “I have an idea that’ll let you get your anger out _and_ break the rules.”

 

   Now Christian was interested. “And what would that be?”

 

   Adrian smiled mischievously. “Hand-to-hand combat. We can practice sparring with each other as long as you keep your punches non-lethal.”

 

   “It _is_ forbidden for moroi to practice fighting…”

 

   “Exactly.”

 

   “I’m in,” Christian agreed, his grin now mirroring Adrian’s own.

 

   Minutes later, the two boys were facing each other, fists raised. They bounced on the balls of their feet and eyed their opponent sharply. Christian struck first. It wasn’t a great punch, but he was a moroi after all, and they weren’t known for their fighting ability. Quickly, Adrian had his arms up in self-defense. The blow glanced off, making him wince. Punches were exchanged this way, with Christian and Adrian alternating between offense and defense each time.

 

   But, of course, that’s when things went wrong.

 

   In his haste to channel his anger out through his punches, Christian swung too forcefully. His fist missed the target, and momentum carried his whole body forward. He swore and tried to stop falling, but he crashed into Adrian, who went toppling backward.

 

   The chances of their current situation were probably very slim, but still they ended up on the floor, Christian laying completely on top of Adrian. Color flared on Christian’s cheeks. This was the very definition of awkward. Not meeting Adrian’s eyes, he scrambled to his feet. Adrian followed him seconds later.

 

   “Sorry I knocked you over,” Christian said. His own voice sounded strange in his ears. Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but Christian couldn’t stand to be in the room anymore, so he cut in, “I think I’ve had enough. I’ll just be in my room…Bye, Adrian.”

 

   Christian left without looking back, willing the blush to leave his face. It must just be a result of embarrassment from the missed punch. It was _not_ because he was flustered by an excess of physical contact with his best friend. Definitely not.

 

   Was this going to be a pattern?

 

~*~


	3. Chapter 3

   It was eerie how similar the way this incident played out was to the first one. There weren’t any heartfelt apologies this time, but there _were_ a few tension-wracked days before the day in Adrian’s room was mostly forgotten.

 

   Only “mostly”, not “entirely”, in Christian’s case. He found himself over-analyzing every single interaction with Adrian, continuously denying that he had feelings for the other boy, and ignoring all the signs that pointed to the fact that he _was_ actually falling for him. Needless to say, it wasn’t easy being Christian.

 

   If he knew what was coming next, perhaps he would have appreciated his current situation a little more.

 

   Halfway through one of his classes, Christian was called to Headmistress Kirova’s office. Figuring that he was being blamed and/or busted for something, he hadn’t been too worried. When he walked in and saw the peculiar expression on Kirova’s face, however, he was worried.

 

   “Mr. Ozera, please have a seat,” Kirova said.

 

   Christian pulled out a chair. “What’s this all about?” he asked.

 

   Kirova laced her fingers together and pressed her lips together in a thin line, giving the appearance of someone who was trying to say something tactfully but was unsure of how to go about it. “Christian…” she began, surprising him with the use of his first name. “You are aware, of course, that your aunt, Tasha Ozera, was allowed to accompany a strigoi-hunting party because of her fire abilities, correct?”

 

   Dread settled into Christian’s heart, but he simply replied, “Yes.”

 

   “Alright. Well, unfortunately, there were more strigoi than they expected. The guardians were severely outnumbered. Many of them were killed in the fight, and…Tasha Ozera was one of the casualties.”

 

   Christian froze.

 

   “I’m sorry, Christian, but there’s more. I feel obligated to tell you the rest, unless you would prefer if I did not. Would you allow me to continue?”

 

   Now Christian was trembling. He bit his lip hard, refusing to show emotion in front of Kirova. Just barely, he managed to nod. If Tasha was dead, he owed it to her to listen to the full story.

 

   “Very well, then,” Kirova said. “As I said, there were more strigoi than were anticipated. A whole group of them ambushed the guardians and the four moroi as they approached. Two of the moroi and a handful of guardians were instantly killed, but they still fought back bravely. Tasha was still alive at that point.

 

   “Soon, it was apparently that they had to retreat. They pulled out, but a Strigoi leaped at Tasha the instant she turned her back. Right before the guardians’ eyes, she was turned into a strigoi.”

 

   Another wave of horror swept over Christian. It was his parents all over again, but worse. Now he was old enough to fully understand what had happened. He gripped the seat until his knuckles turned white, willing it not to be true.

 

   Kirova continued, “The guardians had no other option but to kill her before she could cause any harm. She may be dead, but at least she isn’t a monster.”

 

   Christian took two deep breaths, still trying to appear calm. His voice mostly level, he asked, “Can I cut my classes for the rest of the day?”

 

   “If you feel so inclined, Mr. Ozera, but–”

 

   He was already halfway out the door.

 

   The long walk back to his dorm was pure torture. Unshed tears threatened to fall and betray his agony, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. It was transition time between classes, and there were students _everywhere_. Some of them gave him not a second glance, but most of them had heard the news of Tasha’s death, which had spread like wildfire. They stared at Christian with judgment, disgust, and occasionally fear. The normal buzz of conversation had faded to whispers.

 

   “Hey, isn’t that Ozera? He’s a freak.”

 

   “His whole family’s gonna’ turn strigoi.”

 

   “He’ll be next. It’s only a matter of time.”

 

   “We should get rid of him now so we don’t have to deal with him later, don’t you think?”

 

   “He’s better of dead anyway.”

 

   The whispers echoed in Christian’s mind. So, this would be his life now? Everyone expecting him to suddenly rip their throats? Hating him a hundred times more than they already did? Christian felt old wounds re-opening, so much that it seemed like his veins had started to pump misery instead of blood.

 

   After what felt like an eternity, he made it back to his room. Slamming the door behind him, he sat down on his unmade bed and was still for a second or two.

 

   Then, for the first time in a long time, Christian began to cry.

~*~

 

   It wasn’t long before he heard someone knocking on his door.

 

   “Christian, it’s me,” came Adrian’s voice. “Rose told me you’d be here.”

 

   Christian stood up on shaky legs and stumbled to the door. He swung it open to reveal Adrian’s curious face. The concern promptly changed to shock when he looked at the boy in front of him. Christian could only imagine what he saw– red-ringed eyes, a face sticky with tears, a broken boy standing in the doorway.

 

   “Christian…what’s wrong?”All traces of the usual humor were absent from Adrian’s voice. Only whole-hearted concern for his best friend remained. Christian shook his head and tried to push Adrian back out the door, hoping that the other boy would understand. If he tried to talk, he would only break down again.

 

   Adrian stepped past his hands and pulled Christian over so that they could both sit side-by-side on the edge of the bed.

 

   For the initial few moments, Christian’s expression remained stony. Then his resolve shattered. He started to cry again, dropping his head in his hands. Shame filled him when the reality of the situation hit him– he was blubbering like a girl in front of Adrian.

 

   He didn’t, however, expect what happened next. Instead of leaving, Adrian hesitantly wrapped an arm around Christian’s shaking form. On impulse, Christian leaned into the gesture. Somehow, that turned into him sobbing into Adrian’s chest, angry tears flowing relentlessly from his eyes. The sobs wracked his whole body, but Adrian just held him tighter and gently traced patterns into his back. Christian tried to draw strength from the shelter of Adrian’s embrace.

 

   Christian’s sobs eventually faded to soft sniffles and slight tremors. Still, neither one of them moved until Christian did pulled away so that he could talk without the sound being muffled by Adrian’s shirt. “I’m sorry–” he began.

 

   “Stop it,” Adrian cut in, “Don’t feel bad about this at all.”

 

   Christian shrugged the comment off and said, “No, I’m sorry for being such a girl.” He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, but the sticky moisture of tears still remained.

 

   Adrian was already starting to object before Christian was even finished talking. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, Christian. Now, tell me what’s happened for you to be crying like this,” he said.

 

   “You haven’t heard?” Christian asked bitterly. “My aunt was turned into a Strigoi and then killed, so now everyone thinks I’m going to lose it and become a serial killer any day now.”

 

   “Oh my God…that’s terrible,” Adrian said, the reason for Christian’s breakdown becoming clear to him.

 

   Christian’s voice was hoarse as he said, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

 

   Now Adrian was mad, not at Christian, but at everyone giving him a hard time about turning strigoi. “What the hell is their problem?” he asked angrily. “They have no right to be giving you crap.”

 

   A single corner of Christian’s mouth lifted in a resemblance of a smile. He was grateful for Adrian’s defense of him, even if it wouldn’t make a difference. “I dealt with it before, I guess,” Christian said. “There’s no need for you to get pulled into my mess, too. I can handle it.”

 

   “If you say so.”

 

   The sound of the bell broke into their conversation, bringing it to an abrupt end.

 

   “I guess I’ll leave now,” Adrian said, feeling like Christian could use some time alone. “But…you can come and get me if you need anything, okay?” He walked over to the doorway as he spoke.

 

   This time, Christian gave him a genuine smile. “Thanks, Adrian.”

 

   Adrian gave him a quick grin in return before leaving, pulling the door closed behind him.

 

   Christian fell back into the sheets, closing his eyes. Then, slowly, he re-opened them, a resigned expression on his face. Finally, he had no choice but to accept the blatantly obvious truth that he had been denying all along.

 

   He was falling for Adrian Ivashkov.


	4. Chapter 4

   The next time the two of them hung out, Christian had recovered, though he still missed Tasha. As for Adrian, he was relatively stable, with an emphasis on “relatively”. He had been drinking much earlier in the day to dull the effects of spirit, and so he was somewhere in between drunk and almost-sober…and very loose-lipped as a result.

 

   “There’s something I have to tell you,” Adrian said seriously.

 

   Christian looked at him curiously. “And that would be…?”

 

   Adrian moved closer to Christian and deadpanned, “I might be in love with you.”

 

   Now Christian was rendered speechless. “You…you _what_?” he managed.

 

   Disappointment flashed in Adrian’s eyes. He backed away as he said, “I understand if you think I’m a freak or–”

 

   “No, that’s not it!” Christian said, finding his voice. “The think is…I’m really confused about my feelings for you.” He muttered the last part of it, embarrassed.

 

   A devilish grin appeared on Adrian’s face, and he said, “Well, I can think of only one way to find out for sure. There’s no harm in experimenting, right?”

 

   Christian felt his heart skip a beat at Adrian’s suggestion. Then, slowly, he nodded and smiled just as wickedly. With Adrian looking at him like that, how could he resist?

 

   Before he could blink, Christian was pinned to the wall, Adrian’s lips crushed against his. Automatically, one of his hands tangled itself in Adrian’s messy brown hair. Their lips moved together in sync, and Christian immediately had his tongue exploring the other boy’s mouth.

 

   Just when he was getting into the rhythm of their kisses, Adrian suddenly grabbed Christian’s waist and pulled the two of them closer. A moan escaped Christian’s lips, which in turn encouraged Adrian to roll their hips together. To deny his attraction to Adrian at this point would be to deny the feeling throbbing between his legs, which Christian would admit was something he could _definitely_ not ignore.

 

   It was turning into one of the most heated make-out sessions Christian had ever experienced (excluding actually having sex with Lissa). Without even realizing it, his hands had been sliding lower and lower down Adrian’s toned body.

 

   In a haze of hormones, Christian’s fangs brushed against Adrian’s exposed neck. This time it was Adrian who moaned at the feel of Christian’s teeth on his skin. That sound was all the encouragement needed to continue. He was about to sink his teeth into Adrian’s flesh…

 

   …but a knock at the door brought both of them back to their senses. They sprang apart, both swearing at nearly the same time, and then desperately attempted to catch their breath/ somewhat fix their hair/ generally not look like they had been all over each other a few seconds ago.

 

   The two of them exchanged a brief glance before Adrian went over to answer the door, and Christian sat on the couch. He crossed his legs discreetly. _That_ was something no one else needed to see. To his embarrassment, every fiber of his being still ached with the need to go back to being wrapped around Adrian. Christian wouldn’t be surprised if the person on the other side of the door could hear his racing mind and rapidly beating heart.

 

   Adrian swung the door open to reveal Jill standing nervously in the entrance. “Hi, Adrian,” she said timidly, “I just came by to…” She noticed the other boy in the room. “Oh…Christian. Hi to you, too.” The confusion was evident in her voice.

 

   Christian nodded a greeting, but really was examining the way that Jill looked at Adrian. That’s when it clicked– Jill had a huge thing for Adrian. Then he internally laughed. If Jill had seen the events of a few minutes ago…it would have been interesting, to say the least.

 

   Jill turned back to Adrian and asked, “What’s Christian doing here?”

 

   “We’re working on a…science experiment together.” Christian piped up with a half-concealed smirk.

 

   Adrian chuckled and said, “Exactly.”

 

   “Then why are your lips all swollen?” Jill asked, studying Adrian’s face.

 

   “A bad allergic reaction,” came Adrian’s reply. He gave Christian a subtle wink.

 

   A mischievous spark came into Christian’s eyes. “You should have seen how much he was moaning about it earlier.”

 

   “I wouldn’t make fun of me too much. You seem to have come down with it, too, Ozera.”

 

   Christian tried to discreetly touch his lips, and found that they were in about as bad of shape as Adrian’s.

 

   Poor Jill still stood in the doorway, believing every word, innuendos aside.

 

   Finally, Adrian apparently decided they had messed with Jill enough. In a voice laced with a touch of compulsion, he convinced her to leave. Only the two of them remained.

 

   Full-on smirking, Adrian came over to sit beside Christian. “A ‘science experiment’, huh?” he asked.

 

   “Shut up,” Christian said with a grin. They sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke up again. “What about Rose?”

 

   “Hathaway? She’d rather have her strigoi ex-boyfriend any day. I was just a consolation prize to her. I could ask you the same thing about Lissa, though.”

 

   “I loved her,” Christian said, “but I can’t go back to that life again. I’ve moved on.”

 

   “Well, that changes things.”

 

   “…yep.”

 

   Adrian’s expression switched back to mischievous. “You seemed pretty eager to bite me back there.”

 

   Christian felt the heat of the bright red blush that appeared on his face. “If I remember correctly, you seemed pretty eager to be bitten, though I can only judge by that moan.”

 

   The shade of Adrian’s face now mirrored Christian’s own, and then neither of them knew what to say.

 

   Christian sighed. “We’ve got to stop having these constant silences.”

 

   “Are you suggesting we find a way to _not_ be silent?”

 

   “Shut up! What happened before was…I don’t know…”

 

   “Everyone falls for me eventually,” Adrian said smugly.

 

   Christian immediately started to object, “I am _not_ –”

 

   “Christian,” Adrian cut in, leaning closer to him, “we were sucking face less than five minutes ago right after you admitted to having feelings for me, so don’t even try to lie about that.”

 

   “This is really confusing, okay?” Christian said. A hint of vulnerability crept into his voice. “I though I was in love with Lissa, and now I suddenly might be interested in you. What the hell is wrong with me!?”

 

   Adrian placed a comforting hand on top of Christian’s. “I’m sorry. Trust me, I’m just as confused as you. I’m just better at hiding it.”

 

   Christian felt his mouth tremble slightly, and then ( _Dammit_ , he thought) a few stray angry tears escaped. “What is everyone going to say?” he hissed. “They already think I’m going to turn strigoi, and if they hear I’m…bisexual, or whatever…I’ll never hear the end of it.”

 

   Giving him one of his rare warm smiles, Adrian said softly, “You were always a fighter, Christian. You’ll be fine.”

 

   They embraced, holding each other tightly. Christian asked over Adrian’s shoulder, “So, what does this mean for, you know…”

 

   “Us?”

 

   A smile broke out on Christian’s face. “I wasn’t aware that there was an ‘us’, actually.”

 

   “Would you be against there being an ‘us’?”

 

   “Not at all.”

 

   “Then there’s an ‘us’. Problem solved.”

 

   The fluttery feeling in Christian’s chest returned. His best friend was now his boyfriend? …Sure. He could get used to that, but damn Adrian for making him feel like some lovesick teenage schoolgirl.

 

   He broke the embrace and hesitantly asked, “Would it be okay if we waited to tell anyone? Just for a week or two so that the strigoi talk can fade a little more before they bother me –us– about this?”

 

   Adrian shrugged. “Sure. I’d say ‘Anything for you, Darling’, but you’d probably punch me.”

 

   “Damn straight I would.”

 

   “Sorry, Christian, but you can’t use ‘I’ and ‘straight’ in the same sentence anymore.”

 

   “Shut up!”


	5. Chapter 5

   The next week consisted of Christian and Adrian discreetly holding hands when no one was looking and stealing secret kisses before and after classes. Adrian, of course, wasn’t actually attending any classes, so he had to find ways to pass the time while waiting for Christian. “Passing the time” usually meant something related to alcohol, though he had cut back on his consumption of the drink for his boyfriend’s sake.

 

   Christian’s threat of withholding his lips of Adrian kept getting drunk had worked wonders.

 

   As with most secrets and plans, however, something went wrong. That “something” being partly Rose’s fault. Well…mostly Rose’s fault.

 

   It was a typical afternoon at the end of the week. The bell had rung a few minutes ago to signal the beginning of the free period halfway through the day. While the average student was studying, eating lunch, or napping, two certain boys were meeting up in one of the currently empty hallways of the academy. “Meeting up”, of course, referring to Christian slamming Adrian into the wall without hesitation in a heated kiss that intensified until they were both weak in the knees.

 

   “What the hell!?” came a voice out of nowhere.

 

   The eyes of both boys flew open to see Rose standing in the middle of the hallway with a stunned expression on her face.

 

   Christian immediately shove Adrian away from him and crossed his arms, trying to appear casual. “Rose…funny meeting you here. What are you doing in a random deserted hallway?”

 

   “Don’t be a smartass, Christian,” Rose said angrily. “I was taking a shortcut, and then I find you two here practically having sex in the hallway!”

 

   “Would it help if I told you that it’s not what it looks like?” Adrian chimed in.

 

   Rose’s glare was answer enough.

 

   Sighing in resignation, Christian said, “Okay it is what it looks like. Adrian and I have been going out for a week now, and I don’t think I even have to tell you why we’re keeping it a secret.”

 

   Adrian would an arm around Christian’s waist, pulling him closer. “I don’t see what you’re so mad about, Rose,” he said. “This doesn’t even have anything to do with you.”

 

   “Actually, it does!” Rose nearly yelled. “When you mess around with my best friend’s feelings and then dump her for some guy, it’s naturally going to piss me off!”

 

   “So _that’s_ what this is all about,” Christian sighed, the realization finally hitting him.

 

   Rose nodded curtly. “Anything to say for yourself?”

 

   “Yeah,” Christian replied, “maybe I can knock some sense into your head. I loved Lissa, okay, Rose? Then after the whole ‘Avery is a crazy bitch’ incident, I realized that I hated the royal life too much. I couldn’t –can’t– sacrifice my happiness for her sake. So I let her go.”

 

   “And you just happened to start mooning over my ex-boyfriend?”

 

   “It’s…a long story.” Christian’s face colored slightly.

 

   “Though I could recount it in detail if you’d like,” Adrian added.

 

   Christian elbowed him in the side, and Rose shook her head as she rolled her eyes. “I guess this means you’re definitely not interested in me anymore, then, I take it,” she said to Adrian.

 

   “Please, Rose, if Belikov magically returned, would you even stop for a second to consider choosing me over him? I don’t think so. I’ll always be just a consolation prize.” Rose didn’t say anything, proving Adrian correct. “That’s what I thought,” he said. Then his voice turned mischievous. “Plus, my boyfriend is a _way_ better kisser than you.”

 

   Christian didn’t think his face could get any redder.

 

   “Lovely,” Rose said sarcastically. “I guess I’ll leave you two to…whatever. Bye.”

 

   She turned and walked away without giving the two boys a second glance.

 

   After a few moments of silence, Adrian said, “That was…interesting.”

 

   Christian smiled in agreement.

 

   The sound of Rose’s footsteps finally faded away.

 

   “So, I’m a pretty good kisser, huh?”

 

   “Well, now that I think about it, I’m not sure,” Adrian said flirtatiously. “I guess you’ll have to prove it.”

 

   “Such a shame.”

 

   Then Christian captured Adrian’s lips again with his own and words were entirely out of the question.

~*~

   Suddenly, everyone knew.

 

   Christian’s guess? Lissa had heard about it from Rose, and had been angry enough to tell most of the school. The, once word had gotten out, it had spread to every last student.

 

   A good number of those students were surprisingly okay with their definitely out of the ordinary relationship. Some of the teens that fell into that group were those that dismissed it as “just a phase”, of course, alongside the ones that really couldn’t’ care less.

 

   Then there were the others. Not that Christian wasn’t expecting it. Hell, they were two previously-assumed straight guys in a very gay relationship. Something would have been abnormal with the world if there _hadn’t_ been an outcry (just something else highlighting how screwed up the world actually was).

 

   The bullying was tolerable, at least. Some name-calling here (If Christian heard some jerk call him “fag” one more time, he was going to really set them on fire), some shoving and shoulder-checking there.

 

   Which wasn’t to say that Christian hadn’t given those homophobes a piece of his mind. He’d given them that and an occasional taste of his fist. Just because he was dating another guy didn’t mean that he was suddenly incapable of standing up for himself.

 

   Assholes.

~*~

   Considering their past experiences with alcohol, the two boys should have known better than to get involved with it again around each other.

 

   A party had been thrown in some kid’s dorm earlier, and they were now drifting in an alcohol-fueled haze. They stumbled, laughing, into Christian’s room. Their bodies were already practically wound around each other, and Adrian pressed soft kisses into his boyfriend’s neck. The two of them had almost no boundaries to begin with, and in their current state, any traces of boundaries were eliminated.

 

   Christian shoved Adrian back into the bed right behind him, draping himself over his body. Adrian’s lips left Christian’s neck and instantly found his lips.

 

   Their kisses became increasingly urgent as the intensity of their desire heated up. Christian’s hands slid down Adrian’s side to grip hips, and he pulled the two of them impossible closer together.

 

   Suddenly, Adrian’s fingers were sliding just below the waistband of his jeans, teasing the sensitive skin there. The heat between Christian’s legs skyrocketed, and he gasped, his fangs instinctively moving to Adrian’s neck and just brushing against skin.

 

   They froze. Even with alcohol clouding their thoughts, they were distinctly aware of the stigma attached to giving blood in this type of situation. Even if they were both moroi, the arousal from drinking or giving blood was the same, and it was still taboo.

 

   “This is…really wrong,” Adrian managed between gasps.

 

   “True, but we’ve never been good boys, have we?” Christian asked with a seductive grin.

 

   Adrian needed no more persuasion. He turned his head, baring his neck completely. Christian hesitated only a second longer, but then sunk his fangs into his boyfriend’s exposed flesh. Adrian moaned loudly, his hips jerking up to press into Christian, who was enjoying the delicious taste of the other boy’s blood.

 

   He detached his fangs from Adrian not much later, not wanting to lose control and kill him. His tongue flicked over his lips, licking up the remaining ruby drops. Adrian could only lay there for a moment and try to get himself under control, head dizzy from both the loss of blood and the aftermath of the endorphins that had been injected into his system.

 

   Bit by bit, the lust in both boys’ eyes began to fade, and their pupils shrunk with each passing moment. The endorphins released by Christian’s bite were incredible, but had left them both exhausted. Christian slid off of Adrian and instead lay by his side.

 

   They fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.


	6. Chapter 6

   Christian groggily opened his eyes. A grimace appeared on his face when the throbbing pain in his head pulsed angrily. What had happened last night? He remembered going to some dorm…he was at a party…then he had come back to his room with…oh.

 

   The memory came rushing back, and Christian smiled. He hadn’t had sex with Adrian, which was a good thing considering that they had both been drunk, and he didn’t care. His boyfriend was amazing, and they were best friends before they were lovers, so not taking their relationship to the next level didn’t really matter.

 

   Wait…lovers? That thought froze Christian mid-thought. When he took a moment to think about it, he felt truth in the word. Adrian understood him. Adrian made Christian happy. Christian was beginning to think that he loved him.

 

   Speaking of Adrian…

 

   Christian rolled over to face the other side of his bed, wondering if the other boy was still there. To his disappointment, it was empty. He frowned, but then his eyes caught sight of a folded piece of paper sitting lopsidedly on the other pillow. Lazily, he reached out an arm and snatched it. A grin replaced his previous expression as he scanned the note.

 

_Christian-_

_Before you get any crazy ideas that I ditched you and ran off, I just wanted to tell you that I left because I didn’t want to get caught sleeping in your room. I do NOT want to be kicked off of school grounds_ – _you’d be so bored without me, wouldn’t you? See you at the usual time._

_XOXO_

_-Adrian_

_p.s. - You snore._

~*~

_Later that day…_

 

   “Hey, Queerzera,” Jesse Zeklos said snidely.

 

   Christian bristled. He _really_ hated Jesse. “Really clever, Zeklos. How many hours did it take you to come up with that one?” he snapped back.

 

   “I wouldn’t be too cocky if I were you. Headmistress Kirova’s gonna’ have a talk with you later.”

 

   “What did you rat me out for this time?”

 

   “Being a freak. Messing around with your equally freaky boyfriend. Queen Tatiana’s not going to be happy when she hears that her nephew is sleeping with some lowly Ozera– and much less a homo like you.”

 

   Oh. Christian hadn’t thought of that. If word got out about him and Adrian, the queen’s reputation would nosedive. He was already acutely aware how homosexuality wasn’t accepted in moroi society. The point of having dhampir protect the moroi was so that the moroi could reproduce. If two moroi were in a same-sex relationship, that meant that they couldn’t produce a child, which made the relationship useless in the eyes of society. That fact, coupled with Adrian being directly related to Queen Tatiana, meant that Christian and Adrian being together was extremely taboo. 

   Honestly, it made Christian love being with his boyfriend even more.

 

   But, back to the situation at hand. Not wanting to get into any more trouble than he was already in, Christian chose to ignore Jesse and flip him off instead.

 

   Not ten minutes later, Christian was called to the headmistress’s office. His heart filled with dread the instant the call came, and it only got worse when he arrived at the office and found Adrian already waiting outside. They shared a nervous smile and entered together.

 

   Headmistress Kirova sat at a single desk in the room. “Mr. Ivashkov, Mr. Ozera, please have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the two empty chairs in front of her.

 

   The two boys sat side-by-side facing the headmistress. For a few moments, no one spoke, and Kirova just unnerved them with her stern look. Then, very seriously, she asked, “Do the two of you know why I’ve called you here?”

 

   “Jesse Zeklos wouldn’t shut up about it this period,” Christian said, annoyed.

 

   “And I have my sources, as well,” Adrian added.

 

   “Alright then,” Kirova continued, “I have to ask if it’s true that the two of you are in a serious relationship.”

 

   Christian answered for both of them with a “yes”.

 

   “Boys, let me be very clear. The moroi world all but forbids same-sex relationships. You are going to make a lot of enemies. As for you, Mr. Ivashkov…Queen Tatiana will be furious. Are you both planning on risking the queen’s wrath for the sake of being with each other?”

 

   Adrian and Christian shared a fleeting glance, saying with their eyes what they were both already thinking in their heads. Adrian offered his hand to the other boy, who grasped it firmly in his.

 

   Icily, Christian said, “We don’t care. I love him, and no one is going to take that away from me.”

 

   The surprised look on Adrian’s face mirrored Christian’s own thoughts. Had he really said those words out loud– that he loved Adrian? Well, there was no taking them back now. He squeezed his boyfriend’s hand and smiled.

 

   That was when Christian finally realized the truth. What had started out as an accident and then an experiment had turned into genuine love and affection.

 

   He was such a terrible romantic.

 

   Kirova sighed. “You are both dismissed. Don’t say that you weren’t warned.”

 

   The two boys stood and let, still hand-in-hand. Once they were in the hall and out of earshot, Adrian stopped them. “Christian, you know I have to ask…did you really mean what you said back there? You’re in love with me?”

 

   Christian grinned. “Of course, you idiot.”

 

   And in plain view of anyone in the hallway, he kissed his boyfriend full on the lips.

_Fin_


End file.
